Old Marylebone Town Hall
Wedding photos in Marylebone look very different depending on the room you choose for your ceremony.
The wood-panelled walls of the Westminster, Paddington & Marylebone room (featured) give a rich atmospheric mood to the photos.
Whereas the plaster-decorated rooms, Pimlico, Mayfair, Soho & Knightsbridge, produce photos of greater clarity and brightness to the wedding photos.
Old Marylebone Town Hall Pimlico Room
The cream plastered Pimlico room above, showing photos of a wedding in 2021.
Old Marylebone Town Hall wedding photos
It should be noted that any room is good if your wedding photographer is working with black & white.
Which ceremony room is best at Marylebone?
There are seven rooms at this registry office, each named after a neighbourhood in the borough. They vary in size. Westminster holds 100 guests. Marylebone hold 15 guests. (photo hat-tip)
Vintage cars at Marylebone Old Town hall
Official vehicles are allowed to park on the pavement outside the registry office while the wedding takes place. So photos of the bride arriving in a Rolls Royce, or of the entire wedding party leaving on a double decker bus are all perfectly possible.
Can you throw confetti at Marylebone Town Hall?
Yes, you can. There is a member of staff to sweep up between weddings. Make sure you have lots of confetti. A good photographer will likely insist on a second confetti run in search of that perfect chaos.
Note: They do not permit rice, metallic or plastic confetti in the interest of the environment. Nor confetti cannon due to the noise.
Photos on the steps of Old Marylebone Town Hall
This registry office is so busy that newly married couples are only allowed 30 minutes on the iconic steps. The elegant columns make a great moment for a romantic couple shoot, but save some time for the family formals.
Romantic photography near Old Marylebone Town Hall
A great place for a couple photo-shoot is the nearby cobbled-stoned mews street, Thornton Place.
Or pop across the road to the Landmark Hotel.
Regent’s Park is always excellent for a romantic couple photoshoot. This shot of the bride and groom walking towards the car was at the Outer Circle or Regents Park.
Good locations include the secret garden in Regents park, which is especially good in the summer. Or within a short walk is Dorset Square, which is just across the road. This is the centre of London and there are many beautiful Georgian Streets which make for a great backdrop for a romantic couple shoot.
Covid restrictions at Old Marylebone Town Hall
There were no restrictions that I was made aware of when shooting a small wedding of less than twenty guests in the Marylebone Room in February 2022. Some guests chose to wear a face mask and others chose not to. The time of writing this is April 2022.
Photogenic architecture of Old Marylebone Town Hall
The architecture style makes a beautiful photographic backdrop. The columns are of the Graeco-Roman classical tradition and the tower is in the style of Sir Christopher Wren. Following a competition in 1911, Sir Edwin Cooper was commissioned. After a six year build, it was opened in 1920.
The history of the town hall
The council chamber was badly damaged by bombing during the Second World War. The town hall, which had served as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone for much of the 20th century, ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged City of Westminster was formed in 1965.
Location of Old Marylebone Town Hall
Address: 97-113 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5PT
Baker Street and Marylebone are the closest underground stations, each within a 5-minute walk of the building. There are also bus stops on the Marylebone Road and Gloucester Place. The nearest railway main line station is Marylebone, however there are good transport links from Paddington, Euston, Kings Cross and St Pancras
Parking at the registry office
There is a privately owned multi-story car park found diagonally opposite to the Old Marylebone Town Hall. There are disabled parking bays on Upper Montagu Street, a side street very near to the Town Hall.
What are the current capacities of ceremonies at The Old Marylebone Town Hall? April 2022.
Westminster: 100 plus couple and registrars
Paddington: 8 plus couple and registrars
Marylebone: 12 plus couple and registrars
Soho: 13 plus couple and registrars
Pimlico: 20 plus couple and registrars
Mayfair: 30 plus couple and registrars
Knightsbridge: 30 plus couple and registrars
Old Marylebone Town Hall is an iconic wedding venue and a classic location for wedding photography.